Morricone Remix

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For over a decade now, legendary film composer Ennio Morricone has resisted the dozens of invitations from labels and artists to remix his original work -- until now. Somehow the folks at Reprise were either diplomatic enough with a satisfactory aesthetic approach or had a big enough checkbook to satisfy the artist's concerns (and this writer is willing to believe it was the former). A varied cast of pioneers from electronica's vast frontier was assembled by compilation producers Stefan Rambow and Norman Rudnitzky. The first two cuts are the most obvious. There's Apollo 440's The Man With the Harmonica, mixed out of the soundtrack for Once Upon a Time in the West. There are layers and layers of keyboards extrapolating the melody -- and parts of it -- with dub effects and large, deep drums and sequencers. It's pleasant enough, but it's predictable, a no-brainer, and so much could have been done with it that one has to wonder why such a reverent reading. Terranova's reading of For a Few Dollars More is completely forgettable -- I literally can't remember it (let's play it again...

yawn...

forgot) -- in the second slot, so things don't reach high simmer until Fantastic Plastic Machine's edited remix and rewarp of Belinda May from the film The Alibi. Producer and mixologist Tomoyuki Tanaka adds three layers of Brazilian percussion and vocals to the Latin rhythmic and melodic qualities of the original, turning it into a heavenly hash of good vibes, killer string swells, and dubbed out, echoplexed, rhythmic samba throb. The two DJs from Rockers Hi-Fi turn in separate remixes of the Clan of the Sicilians theme. The two readings are radically different; DJ Dick's is the better of the two, with a tropical feel added to the already exotic soundscape painted by the composer, layering funky flutes and an additional foreground set of harmonized (synth) strings. Bigga Bush's remix is more minimal, fielding an additional layer of tripled percussion and stripping back the melody by adding chords to frame the drums. Other standouts include Thievery Corporation's take on the Il Grand Silencio opening theme. It's a downtempo mix with shimmering string glissandi augmented by the late-night chill-out effect of spare snares and cymbals, and a minimally pulsing keyboard riff playing the changes; it sets the mood and keeps it tight with Morricone's original melodic intent. Also quite fine is the Nightmares on Wax redo of Chi Mai, taken from the 1971 film Magdalena. His approach is very spare, but extremely effective, and it sounds as much like a trademark Nightmare on Wax creation as it does Morricone's original, adding a reggae rhythm section to underlie the strings and a chunky but skeletal set of layered keyboard chords playing in harmony with Morricone's strings. What could have been one of the biggest exercises in modern kitsch has instead turned out to be a viable, listenable, and mostly wonderful set of tracks that pay a worthy homage to a maestro. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi